State of the World’s Forests 2022 | 05 May 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the State of the World’s Forests 2022 (SOFO 2022) was released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

• In January 2022 the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released the India State of Forest Report-2021.
• At the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, 140 countries pledged to eliminate forest loss by 2030 and to support restoration and sustainable production and consumption.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Loss of Forests:
  • The 420 million hectares (mha) of forests have been lost between 1990 and 2020, due to deforestation, though forests cover 4.06 billion ha of the earth’s geographical area.
    • Although the rate of deforestation was declining, 10 mha of forests were lost every year between 2015 and 2020.
    • An estimated 289 mha of forests would be deforested between 2016 and 2050 in the tropics alone, resulting in the emission of 169 GtCO₂e if additional action is not taken.
      • The greenhouse gas total is expressed in terms of billions of tonnes of global annual CO₂ equivalent emissions (GtCO₂e/year).
• Rise in Infectious Diseases:
  • 15% of 250 emerging infectious diseases have been linked to forests.
    • Example: Covid-19, Drug-resistant infections (Antimicrobials), Zika Virus, etc.
  • 30% of new diseases, reported since 1960, can be attributed to deforestation and land-use-change.
• Rise in Poverty:
  • The cost of global strategies to prevent pandemics based on reducing the illegal wildlife trade, avoiding land-use change and increasing surveillance was estimated to be USD22 billion to USD31 billion.
  • Approximately 124 million more people fell into extreme poverty after Covid-19 and this may have longer-term impacts on wood-based fuel (such as firewood, charcoal) due to increase in wood-based fuel use in some countries during the pandemic.
• Consumption of Natural Resources:
  • The world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, which will increase competition for land, as the demand for food for this large population will rise by 35 to 56% by the 2050s.
  • The annual global consumption of all natural resources combined is expected to more than double from 92 billion tonnes in 2017 to 190 billion tonnes in 2060 due to increases in population size and affluence.
    • Annual biomass extraction is expected to reach 44 billion tonnes by 2060, from 24 billion tonnes in 2017.
    • Demand for forest-based biomass is expected to rise further, mainly due to construction and packaging.
• GDP Dependence on Forests:
  • It is estimated that more than half of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (USD 84.4 trillion in 2020) depends moderately (USD 31 trillion per year) or highly (USD 13 trillion per year) on ecosystem services, including those provided by forests.
    • Ecosystem services make human life possible by, for example, providing nutritious food and clean water, regulating disease and climate, supporting the pollination of crops and soil formation, and providing recreational, cultural and spiritual benefits

What are the Suggestions?

• Conservation, Restoration and Agroforestry:
  • Forest protection, such as stopping illegal wildlife trade and avoiding land-use change, can help prevent the next pandemic, and the cost is a fraction of the damages that an actual pandemic would cause.
  • Agroforestry holds special potential for boosting biodiversity, food security and even crop production.
• Sustainable Use:
  • Supply chains that incorporate forest products are another way to make sustainable development a reality, particularly as the world's population is projected to double by 2060 and demand for natural resources will double to 190 billion metric tons.
• Funding:
  • A massive uptick in funding will require, specifically, a three-fold increase by 2030.
    • Establishing and maintaining forests, for example, may cost USD 203 billion every year by 2050.
• Supporting Local Producer Organizations:
  • Supporting local producer organizations and protecting land tenure rights are also crucial for allowing small communities and Indigenous groups to continue sustainably managing their forests.
    • For this, governments can give smallholders long-term rights to their tree products, which would help de-risk agroforestry, as well as formalize the recognition of customary land rights.

Source: DTE